What does it mean to be awake?

 

An age-old question, for sure.

 

If things aren’t going wrong in our lives, we sometimes don’t even know that we’re not very awake.

 

It can be so easy to glide along in the comfortable illusion of awakeness.

• I’m fine. 
• I don’t let my partner’s idiosyncrasies bother me.
• I swallow back my frustration when the children act out.
• I know how to self-medicate with chocolate, alcohol, TV, sleep, or …

 

But there is more possible!

 

What if you felt your irritation rise up, understood its connection to your past, and, instead of swallowing down frustration, responded to your children with attunement, helping them navigate their emotions?

 

What if you had integrated the connection to your own needs and concerns, instead of inwardly cringing, when your partner does something a little whacky, thus opening up the awareness of her/his precious individual expression?

 

What if you had energy to savor your life—every drop of it, instead of numbing out to soothe yourself?

 

That’s what waking up can open up in you!!

 

Waking up is not just a experience of the mind. Waking up involves all 3 Centers—Belly/Body, Heart, and Head.

 

Opening one Center can support the opening of the others. All are intimately intertwined in our awakening.

 

I recently read Brené Brown’s book Braving the Wildnerness, on what it takes to show up with awakeness in the world, in particular, in this political climate. I LOVED this concept:

 

Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.

 

As we awaken, we develop a strong and flexible spine—representing our will and ability to focus (Body and Head Centers)—instead of a rigidly over-protective back.

 

When our back is sturdy and flexible enough, instead of hardening or collapsing to protect a weak spine and defend from hurt, our front is open, soft and available to the world (Body and Heart Centers).

 

And within that soft front blossoms what Brené calls our Wild Heart. The Wild Heart is an awakening heart that is soft, open, and available to life’s beauty, chaos, unpredictability... Not numbed out or stuck in any one feeling, but able to respond to the paradox, feeling deeply and wildly available to life.

 

As Rumi says, “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground,” a thousand ways—and likely more—to practice waking up.

 

We’d like to invite you to a few coming up:

 

For you who love the Enneagram, as we do, as a map for waking up, the earlybird deadline for our new workshop is Friday March 9th. Sign up now!

 

 

For you who love all-things-tea, as I do, as a presence practice, the earlybird for Tea & Poetry is March 11th. (Note new times.)

 

What are you working on in your life right now
that supports your waking up?